Giving your vote a little life

Yesterday, after having had the honour of spending several hours with a man whose ancestors sailed here 1000 years ago, I captured this photo over Tairua river. There is a saying in the book I'm reading by Rev. Maori Marsden; Illumination is from above, a revelation gift from God. When it occurs, it acts as a catalyst integrating knowledge to produce wisdom. Will there be mauri - life force - left in this river if we carry on treating our earth as we do? This is the sort of question I ask when I consider the policies of those I can choose to vote for tomorrow, rather than asking 'what's in it for me?'. It would be so sad to think that on my generation's watch, a place with this kind of beauty could be reduced to a lifeless body of water.